Excavating and separating apparatus.



0. B. PERRY. EXOAVATING AND SEPARATING, APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION TILED JAN. 29, 1910.

Patented May 2, 1911.

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0. B. PERRY. EXOAVATING AND SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1910.

991 ,083. Patented May 2, 1911.

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OSCAR B. PERRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EXGAVATING AND SEPARATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR B. PERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain neW and useful Improvements in Excavating and Separating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to an apparatus whereby material such as sand, gravel and the like, and particularly auriferous or metal bearing gravels can be excavated and the mineral contents thereof separated expeditiously and with a minimum loss of time in changing the location of the necessary apparatus.

Heretofore great expense and delay have been incurred because of the necessity for frequently moving the apparatus, which is very heavy and difficult to handle, and one object of this invention is to so arrange the parts of the apparatus with relation to each other that the separating portion thereof can remain stationary for a much longer period of time than has heretofore been possible with any apparatus which has been employed and in which the excavating portion of the apparatus is easily and independently movable.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby water may be continuously supplied to the separating apparatus even while the same is in motion if desired, and which will obviate the necessity of changing the connections of the piping for the water at the time the separating mechanism is moved.

The further objects of the invention will be more fully set forth in the following description of the apparatus, which consists in new and novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the separating and conveying apparatus. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the excavator.

The separating device is mounted upon a movable truck or platform 1 and comprises a perforated rotatingscreen 2 or other suitable mechanism. Said screen discharges a portion of its contents through the perforations into a sluice way or onto a table 3 and from there to the tailings sump 5. The remaining portion of the material is delivered from the screen directly to the tailings stacker 6 which may be of any well known construction. The material delivered from the sump may be transferred to the tailings stacker by any well known mechanism (not shown) or may be discharged onto the ground.

The material is delivered to the separating device by a suitable conveyer comprising an elevating portion 7 and a relatively horizontal portion 8. Said conveyer is mounted upon a truck or platform 9 secured to and movable with the platform 1 or if desired formed integral therewith. The material which is elevated by the conveyer is delivered to the separating device by any suitable means as the chute 10 and the hopper 11.

A track 12 is arranged above the horizontal portion of the conveyer and is supported by the truck or frame 9 in any suitable manner. A movable chopper 13 is mounted on said track to have an independent movement thereon with respect to the conveyer. Said hopper may, if desired, be provided with a grizzly 14 and with a chute 15 to deliver the material that passes through the grizzly onto the conveyer.

Arranged on a track 16 adjacent to the conveyer and approximately parallel therewith, is an excavator comprising a bucket 18 which may be operated in any well-known manner through the boom 17 and the bucket stick 19. Said excavator is normally connected with the hopper by suitable means as a bar 20 which causes said hopper to move on the track in fixed relation to the excavator as same is advanced from time to time owing 4 to the removal of material being excavated. Preferably the failings sump 5 is directly supported by wheels or other suitable means movable on the track 16.

The water for use in the perforated screen of the excavating device is supplied through an outlet 21 which is connected to the main supply pipe 22 through the rigid pipe connection 23 and a plurality of flexible connections 24. The said flexible connections are connected to the main supply pipes at suitable distances apart and have their flow controlled in any suitable manner as by the valves 25. By means of this arrangement it is unnecessary to move the separating and conveying mechanism except at infrequent intervals, and only after the excavator has traveled not only the full length of the horizontal portion of the conveyer but a suitable distance beyond same, as determined by the length of the bucket arm and the boom. Consequently the serious delays and expense incurred in moving the heavy mechanism comprising the separating and conveying devices is reduced to a minimum, since it is possible to advance the excavator from time to time for a considerable distance before it becomes necessary to change the location of the separating and conveying apparatus at all. This arrangement also avoids the delays incident to changing the connections of the water supply when the apparatus is moved and permits water to be continuously supplied while the apparatus is in motion if desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for excavating and separating material, the combination with a separator and a conveyer extending in front of the separator for supplying material thereto, and means for moving said separator and conveyer simultaneously in the direction of the length of the conveyer, of an excavator movable a limited distance approximately parallel to said conveyor and independently thereof, and means movable independently of the conveyor to receive the material from the excavator and deliver same to the conveyer whereby the excavator can be moved a distance greater than the length of the -conveyer without moving said separator or conveyer.

2. In an apparatus for excavating and separating material, the combination with a separator comprising a screen supported at an elevation above the reach of the excavator, a conveyer extending in front of the separator for supplying material thereto, a track above the conveyer mounted on the conveyer frame, and means for moving said separator, conveyer, frame and track simultaneously in the direction of the length of the track, of an excavator movable a limited distance independently of said conveyer, and a hopper on said track movable independently of the conveyor to receive the material from the excavator and deliver same to said conveyer whereby the excavator can be moved as the material is excavated without moving said separator or conveyer.

3. In an apparatus for excavating and separating material, the combination with a separator comprising a screen supported at an elevation above the reach of the excavator, a conveyer comprising an elevating portion and a horizontal portion for supplying material to said separator, a track above the horizontal portion of the conveyer supported by the frame thereof, and a tailings stacker for disposing of the material after treatment, said separator, conveyer and stacker being mounted upon a truck movable in the direction of the cut, of an excavator movable approximately parallel to the horizontal portion of said conveyer and independently thereof, a hopper on said track movable in fixed relation to the conveyer and independently thereof to receive material from the excavator and deliver same to the conveyer and means between the excavator and hopper for moving said hopper simultaneously with the excavator.

4. In an apparatus for excavating and separating material, the combination with a separator and an outlet pipe for supplying Water to said separator, a conveyer for supplying material to said separator, and means for moving said separator and conveyer simultaneously, of an excavator movable inclependently of the conveyer, a hopper movable in fixed relation to the conveyer, independently thereof, to receive the material from the excavator and deliver same to the conveyer, a water supply pipe and a plurality of flexible connections secured to said outlet pipe and to the supply pipe at different points in the line thereof whereby water may be continuously supplied to said separator while same is being moved.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an excavator movable intermittently in the direction of the cut, the extent of each movement being limited by the range of the excavator, a conveyer frame disposed adjacent to said excavator, a conveyer carried thereby and serving to transport material lengthwise of the frame, a hopper movable along said frame and adapted to receive material from said excavator and deliver the same to said conveyer and means connected to said conveyer frame for receiving the material from said conveyer and treating the same, said conveyer frame, conveyer, and said last-men tioned means being movable lengthwise in the same direction as the direction of movement of the excavator and independently of the excavator and through a greater distance than said excavator.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an excavator movable intermittently in the direction of the cut, the extent of each movement being limited by the range of the excavator, and said excavator having an excavating bucket, a "conveyer frame disposed adjacent said excavator, a conveyer carried thereby and serving to transport material lengthwise of the frame, a hopper movable along said frame and adapted to receive material from said excavator and deliver the same to said conveyer, a separator mounted at an elevation above the reach of said bucket and receiving material from said conveyer, said This specification witnessed this 25th day conveyer iranlle, conveyer and separatoir beof January A. D. 1910.

111 mova 1e en 'thwise in the same irece531 as the direct ion of movement of the ex- OSCAR PERRY cavator and independently of the excavator Signed in the presence of-- and through a greater distance than said '8. D. HoLINER, excavator. E. E. MCCARTHY.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

